Cooling and carbonating attachment for receptacles



F. A. BLOCK Feb. 13, 1934.

COOLING AND CARBONATING ATTACHMENT FOR RECEPTACLES Filed June 21, 1935 Patented F eh. 13, 1934 UNITED sra'res COOLING AND CARBONATING ATTACH- IMENT FOR RECEPTACLES Fred A. Block, Detroit, Mich. Application June 21, 1933'. Serial No. eraser 4 Claims.

This invention relates to cooling and carbonating attachments for receptacles, and among other objects, aims to provide an improved attachment of this character which is especially 5 useful in the cooling and carbonating of beer in barrels. The invention has other objects which will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. a In said drawing,--

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a barrel shown equipped-with the attachment; and Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Referring particularly to the drawing, there is w shown a barrel 5, which may be considered as illustrative of any container of any liquid which it is desired to cool and/or carbonate with the aid of the attachment. Into head 6 of the barrel a screw gland 7 is secured, said gland having an m annular flange 7a which is outside of the barrel head, when the gland is in position, so that the gland may support a receptacle 8 within the barrel.

The receptacle 8 is preferably made from a 95 section of heavy tubing closed at the lower end by a cap 8a, which may be welded thereto. The upper end of the tubular receptacle 8 projects above flange 7a and is threaded inside of a screw cap 9, whose lower edge rests on the gland. In M the center of the screw cap 9 a safety valve 10 is placed, so as to permit escape of gas generated within the receptacle 8, when such gas attains a certain pressure. Receptacle 8 is designed to hold a supply of solid carbon dioxide commer- 85 cially known as dry ice", which, as is well known, passes from the solid to the gaseous state and thus generates gaseous 002.

It is-desired to conduct the cold, gaseous C02 into the beer or other liquid in the barrel, therem by to chill and carbonate it, and hence a pipe 11 is screwed into the neck of screw cap 9, a shutofi cock 12 controlling the flow of C02, and a gauge 13 registering the pressure when the apparatus is in use. A pipe 14, which extends 45 through a plug 15 in head 6 nearly to the bot= lower end, it is communication with pipe 11 by means of T 1'7 and attached parts, as shown in Fig. 2. A nipple 18 constituting a gas conduit is w screww into T 17, and a nut 19, screwed onto the end of the nipple, engages the, shoulder 20 of a nozzle 21 on the end of pipe 11. A sealing disk 22 surrounds nozzle 21 to make a gas-tight joint.

Nozzle 21 has one or more perforations 23 so that the gas issues out of it in a fine stream or streams tom of the barrel, and has perforations 16 at its and under considerable pressure. So long as cock 12 is open, the gas must flow into the barrel through pipe 14, which discharges only through the perforations at the lower end. so that the gas must pass through the entire body of liquid M in the barrel, insuring thorough carbonating and chilling. A discharge pipe 24 is secured by a nut 25 to T 1'7, and may extend to the point where the beverage is dispensed, a faucet 26 controlling the flow at such point. The gas pressure within the barrel, of course, induces the flow through pipe 24, and the gauge 13 permits the proper regulation of the pressure, so that the flow will not be too violent.

It will be understood that a beer barrel is m initially charged with CO2, but that the charge only lasts until about one-eighth of the contents has been withdrawn. The pipe i l is thrust through the plug 15 (which is initially sealed with a cork, not shown), the screw cap 9 is removed, a supply of solid carbon dioxide is put in receptacle 8, the screw cap is replaced, pipe 11 is connected with the screw cap though with cock12 closed, and a connection is made between the nozzle 21 and the T 17, said nozzle breaking the sealing disk 22 for this purpose. Nut 19 facilitates the breaking of said disk.

As the walls of receptacle 8 are of metal, said receptacle, when partly filled with the refrigerant, cools the beer in contact with its walls, and 86 convection currents are set up inside the barrel which result in entire contents being quickly chilled. When cook 12 is opened a steady stream of very cold carbon dioxide will flow into the bottom of the barrel, further cooling its contents w and further carbonating them, and increasing the pressure within the barrel. This pressure will be suflicient to lift the liquid a considerable distance, so that the barrel may be in a cellar, many feet beneath the place where the beverage is dispensed. The cook: 12 may have an extension handle (not shown) permitting its control from a distant point, for instance, from the place where the beverage is dispensed.

Obviously the invention may have various 1 forms neither shown nor described.

Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. An attachment of the character described comprising, in combination, a tubular refrigerant receptacle which is closed except at its upper end;

a screw cap closing and sealing the upper end of the receptacle; a pipe secured to the screw can; no

a cock for controlling the flow of gas through said pipe; a straight pipe adapted to extend through a barrel head; a fitting for connecting the upper end of said straight pipe, outside the barrel, with the pipe which is secured to the screw cap; and a discharge pipe also connected to the fitting.

2. an attachment of the character described comprising, in combination, a tubular refrigerant receptacle which is closed at its bottom and which is adapted to be free of the bottom of a barrel into which it is placed; a screw gland which snugly fits the receptacle and through which said receptacle may he slid, said gland having an annular iiange; a screw cap fitting over said gland; a safety valve connected with said screw cap; a pipe connected at one end with said screw cap; a fitting connected with the other end of said pipe; and another pipe connected with the fitting and adapted to extend down into the barrel.

3. An attachment of the character described comprising, in combination, a straight pipe having a restricted opening at its lower end and a much larger opening in its wall near the upper end; a T surrounding said upper end; a nipple reac es screwed into said and thus communicating with the straight pipe; a sealing disk sealing the outer end of said nipple; a nut having a shoulder.

,barrel; and means to connect the pipe and. container; said means being connectible without lowering the pressure in the barrel and comprising a gas conduit connected to said pipe, a disk sealing the outer end of the gas conduit, and a pipe connected to the refrigerant container and having a pointed nozzle adapted to pierce said sealing disk, and means to unite the gas conduit with the nozzle.

FRED A. BLOCK. 

